BAJAUR: The residents of various areas of Salarzai tehsil staged a protest demonstration here on Sunday against the closure of Thangi-Ganag Road, which they alleged had been closed by authorities citing security reasons.

The demonstration was held at Thangi Chowk and was attended by residents of Thangi, Ganag and Babar Shah areas, including some political and social activists.

Bajaur Amn Jirga head Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, PML-N district president Malik Gul Kareem Khan and others addressed the protesters and termed the closure of the road unacceptable.

“The sudden closure of Thangi -Ganag Road without taking residents into confidence and without citing any solid reason is unjustified and unacceptable, as the move will cause great inconvenience to residents of various areas, who rely on this link road,” the speakers said.

They claimed that the road connected six village councils to the rest of the district, with a combined population of about 80,000.

They said the road had also been closed several months ago, and the latest closure would put local residents in great difficulty and unrest.

Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, who is also chief of the JI local chapter, urged the district administration to realise the difficulties of local residents and reopen the road at the earliest to end the unrest. He warned that if the road was not reopened by Monday morning, they would stage a protest sit-in on the main Bajaur-Munda Road.

He asked the people of the affected areas to participate in large numbers to pressure the authorities to reopen the road immediately.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2026